▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his claim today (local time) that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni requested to take photos with him during the G7 summit, stating, "She wants to be friends again to boost her approval ratings, but I will decline."
President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, "Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni kept repeatedly asking to take a photo with me during the G7 summit held in France."
In an interview with Italian private broadcaster La7 yesterday, President Trump had previously claimed, "Prime Minister Meloni begged me to take a photo with her," adding, "I didn't want to take it, but I felt sorry for her, so I did."
Despite Prime Minister Meloni strongly refuting the claim as "a completely fabricated story" and Italy canceling Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's visit to the U.S. in protest, President Trump repeated the same remarks.
In his post, President Trump further claimed, "Prime Minister Meloni has low approval ratings, perhaps because she rejected the United States, which truly loves and protects Italy, regarding the issue of Iran's acquisition or development of nuclear weapons."
He also criticized her, saying, "Even though the U.S. provides hundreds of billions of dollars annually to protect Italy under the so-called NATO alliance, she did not even allow us to use Italian landing strips or runways," adding, "This caused significant transportation inconveniences."
Prime Minister Meloni had maintained a close relationship with President Trump, to the extent that she was the only European leader to attend his inauguration last year.
The relationship between the two soured after President Trump engaged in several war of words with the Pope following the war in Iran.
Last April, when Prime Minister Meloni defended the Pope and criticized President Trump, calling his actions "unacceptable," Trump lashed back, stating, "It is she who is unacceptable."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.